Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-08-06
MYSTERIES or MICROSCOPY,
The Work of AN Enthusiastic Inyesti-
g~stor-view OF "A Fly's Tongue.

gst"r-Niew OF "a fly's Tongue.
Mr.. George NJ. Hopkins, Of The Scien.
fific American, is a very enthusiastic mi
croscoplst. He has been very faithful
and persevering in his Investigations, and
has written many articles calculated 10
populari1e the science. and thus open the
door which leads To a great amount Of
pleasure in the broad field of nature. Mr..
Hopkins instrument and attachments
are valued at $3.50. An illustrated article
IN The Scientific American supplement
thoroughly demonstrates the fact that
much excellent work can be done with
what is known as a toy microscope. Ii
says:
''Some have enormously supposed an
expensive instrument and elaborate &C.
cessories necessary TO the pursuit of mi
~croscopical Investigations. These things
are, of course, desirable; but when n
has learned all that a be learned by the
aid of the simple and inexpensive micro
scope. he Is very far advanced, and may
with propriety present his instrument to
some one unable to purchase for himself,
n proceed to the selection of something
better suited to his advanced position in
microscopy"
~lrecently had the pleasure of spending
an hour with Mr.. Hopkins at his resi-
dence, looking at a variety Of objects
through his splendid instruments. The
pleasure of doing this was greatly height
.ened by having in the person of my host
o person who was thoroughly conversant
with the subject and whose skilled hand
could arrange the object and equalize the
light in such a way that the SECTIONS of
bugs, beetles and birds could be Shown at
their best, while at the same time impart-
ing invaluable information regarding
each subject viewed. Sitting down at a
revolving table in the center Of the room,
Mr.. Hopkins said:
Suppose we look at the fly's tongue?'
"All right" said l. Flies have been
investigating me for a long time, and
nothing would give me more pleasure
than to see a fly tongue transfixed and
to investigate it calmly under the micro
scope"
Accordingly Mr.. Hopkins placed the
subject in pc ,ition, and, turning the
table, brought my eye to bear upon the
object. The ay's tongue is certainly a
complicated Iiece Of mechanism. No de-
scription would do it justice: it must be
een TO be appreciated. The next subject
was a section of a horsefy, showing the
complete KIT Of tools with which he pur-
sues his Investigations into the flesh of
horses Thara x-ap N e..n 49,. ....l II
plainly visible, a piercer for irritating the
which cause the blood to flow,
and all arranged for use. Then we looked
the sawfly which ~frequents rose and
gooseberry bushes. and saws places in the
twlgs and deposits its eggs. The singing
apparatus of the ordinary honey bee next
Claimed our attention. Having had some
experience with a bees business deuart-
ment. | congratulated myself that the
mystery OF Its operation was about to be
The sight confirmed me in nv
purpose previously formed uf giving bee
a wide berth in future. A bees
looks formidable under a micro
scope. Teeth project from the side of il
Ike a swordiish. and attached to it is the
POISON bag. which contains the article
Which when inserted into a mans hand
~ an enterprising bee makes him wish
he had never been born.
The hornet was next investigated. II
las been said that he differs from the
lea IN this respect: that when YOU u
7our finger on him you know he is there;
Much as we dislike to meet the hornet
be interviewed by him, especially
when seated on the grass eating loaf cake
It a picnic, he appears remarkably well
lnder a microscope. Mr.. Hopkins called
ny attention to this interesting fact. On
edge Of the hornets wings are a
cries Of hooks which at certain times
re used TO hook the wings together. but
% one has yet succeeded in hooking or
Unlocking the wings Of the captured in
The hooks were plainly seen
the instrument. 4 bees foot
a fringed paddle Of the water beetle
losed u Investigations among the in
set tribe. A section Of the leaf of the
eutia plant was next shown. 1t was
overed with little stars perfectly formed.
hese stars are composed of slick, and if
ne Leaf Is burned the stars are not coma .
lined. Diatoms are subject for special :
udy. They are vegetable plants COM
rising innumerable varieties. which can
nly be seen and classified by the aid of I
ne microscope. Diatoms have been seen !
pom which l25, 900 transverse lines have
sen shown by the aid Of the most pow
ful microscopes. Polarized light Is '
bother department of microscopical
udy. The polarizer is attached to the
horoscope, and by its means the most A
forms and colors are seen. ,
here are an infinite number of available :
bjects in this realm. Chemical crystals,
neral sections, nickel prisms and OBJ I
cts from vegetable life all show a vast
of colors and forms. -Brooklyn :